1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the injection of energetic waste materials, such as high explosives, propellants, and rocket fuels, into a molten salt reactor for destruction. In particular, a cooled, insulated injector nozzle provides continuous injection of a fuel mixture into the molten salt without premature detonation or back burn.
2. Description of Related Art
The development of environmentally acceptable methods for treatment and disposal of large quantities of high explosives (HE) and other energetic materials is a growing concern and a research goal of industry and federal laboratories. Current methods for disposal of energetic waste include open-pit burning, incineration, and detonation. These methods of bulk destruction generate hazardous products from the incomplete combustion of organic material. Safe methods must be devised that can completely combust or treat hazardous and mixed wastes in waste-processing plants.
Molten salt destruction (MSD) processes have been demonstrated for wastes containing highly explosive material. Anti-Pollution Systems, Inc. originally developed MSD as a single stage process for destruction of organic wastes. The MSD process works well with pure hydrocarbons and those contaminated with inorganic compounds. MSD fully converts the organic constituents of the waste into non-hazardous compounds such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and water. Inorganic contaminants remain captive in the molten salt. In the case of mixed waste, the actinides in the waste are retained in the molten salt while the organic compounds are removed, thus converting the mixed waste into solely radioactive waste. The molten salt is changed periodically, and the inorganic contaminants and pure salt may be reclaimed.
The conventional MSD process is not adapted for energetic materials, which are addressed by the present invention. Energetic materials present a danger when being injected into the melt, and therefore cannot be injected directly as in the conventional method. The fuel must be handled carefully and metered into the molten bath at a temperature below the energetic release threshold. Otherwise, severe damage to the injection system and even the reaction vessel is possible, caused by violent decomposition and oxidation reactions. Since these energetic materials already contain their own source of oxygen, eliminating the gas flow in the oxidant injection system cannot be used to retard the rapid reaction and back burn. A method is needed to safely inject explosive material into a high temperature molten salt bath without premature detonation.